Internal combustion engine



March .15, 1932. F, BRACC@ I INTERNAL COM-BUSTION ENGINE NM www. bm.

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F. BRAcco 1,849,398

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed April 15, 1929 ssheets-sheet 3 Af/1.5 S/

INVENTOR March 15, 1932.. F BRAC@ 1,849,398

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed April l5, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 \7\ ,l w O 'n U O I() l I V// /////A" e k l W l A l A/ ld Y X I Nb l .'|i|ll. www sw We Milli mi k( .I m.

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F. BRACCIO INTERNAL COMBUSTIONv ENGINE Filed April l5, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Mar. 15, 1932 PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK BBACCO, F LYNDHURST, NEW JERSEY INTERNAL COMBSTION ENGINE Application illed April 15, 1929. Serial No. 355,188.

parts. Other more specific objects will ap-' pear from the description hereinafter, and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, which show several examples of the invention without defining its limits, and in which Fig. l is a longitudinal section of one form of the novel engine on a line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section similar to Fig. 1' Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1 (nal section of another form .of my novel engine; Fig. 6 is a transverse section thereof on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

In the form shown in Figs. l, 2, 3 and 4, the engine comprises a stationary casing 10 of generally circular form, and provided with a plurality of recesses 11 located at predetermined points around the peripheral wall of said casing 10 and opening inwardly toward the interior thereof, as shown in Fig. 2; in the illustrated example two recesses 11 are located at diametrically opposite points of the casing 10,y and having their inner walls sloping inwardly toward the interior of the casing as` indicated at 12. The recesses 11, in conjunction with other elements of the engine 4o constitute combustion and exhaust chambers, as will appear more fully hereinafter and are in open communication with exhaust passages 13, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The-exhaust passages 13lead t0 an annular exhaust prising part of the casing 10 and located concentrically upon a main exhaust tube 16 ex` Fig. 5 is a longitudichamber 14 formed in an end member 15 com- Fig. 1. The exhaust chamber 14 communicates with the interior of the exhaust tube 16,l by means of radial ducts 17, said tube 16 at its one end projecting over a bearing 18 which is set into said tube end in any convenient, fluid-tight manner. The engine further includes a plurality of stationary operating cams 19 consisting of low parts a and high parts b, the latter projecting toward the recesses ll as shown in Fig. 2. The casing l() is further provided with an annular end member 20 located in opposed relation to the end member 15 in axial registry therewith. In the preferred arrangement, the cams 19, and

end members l5 and 20 are made hollow in form to provide chambers 21 connected with each other, and with chambers 21a located onthe casing 10 in registry with the recesses 11, said chambers 21 and 21a comprising Water jackets through which water or other cooling medium is circulated in any conventional manner.

In addition to the parts so far described, the engine includes a rotor which consists of an annular member 22, preferably comprising a plurality of duplicate segments, and having a circular path of travel within the casing 10. concentric to the axis thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The annular member 22 carries a series of impact members 23 and compression members 24 arranged in co-operating pairs, the members of each pair being pivotally movable relatively to each other and to the annular member 22 about a common axis, as indicated at 25. The impact members 23 are provided with webs 26 movable in spaced parallel relation to webs 27 located on the annular member 22, the opposed surfaces of said webs 26 and 27 being curved in arcs having the axes 25 as centers and together forming passages curved about said axes 25, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The compression members 24 are curved to snugly lit the passages between the webs 26 and 27, the arrangement being such that said members 23 and 24 telescopically engage each other, and to provide combustion chambers 23- between the end surfaces of the compression members 24 and the contiguous portionsA ofthe impact members 23, as shown in Fig. 2. The outer surfaces of the impact members 23 and the outer ends of the compression members 24 are curved in arcs corresponding to the curvature of the peripheral surface of the annular member 22 and are adapted, in the operat-ion of the engine to lie flush therewith, in operative succession, as shown in Fig. 2. The impact members 23 are adapted to travel upon the inner surface of the casing 10 and to move outwardly into the recesses 11 thereof, while the compression members travel in engagement with the cams 19 and control the opening and closing of fuel inlets 28 located in the webs 27; to effect the desired operations of the compression members 24, the latter are provided with pins or lugs 124 arranged to co-operate with guide ribs 119 located in spaced parallel relation to the descending portions of the cam 19 to form cam grooves 119el as shown in Fig. 2. It will be understood that the general shape of the webs 26 and 27, and the compression members 24 may be altered to meet the capacity requirements of any predetermined specification without departlng from the inventive idea. The fuel inlets 28 are suitably connected with a mixing chamber 29 as indicated in Fig. 1. The mixing chamber 29 is preferably, though not necessarily, located within a hollow shaft 30 and is formed by an end wall 29@l thereof and internal partition 29h; in the preferred arrangement, vanes or paddles 31 are fixed on said end wall 29a so as to project therefrom into the mixing chamber 29. A fuel tube 32 connected with a suitable source of fuel leads to said mixing chamber 29, through an air inlet 33 formed 'in the partition 29b and connected with a suitable source of air supply. In the illustrated arrangement the fuel tube 32 is slidablymounted in a suitable bearing 34 and carries a valve 35 co-operating with said air inlet 33 to regulate the quantity. of air which is admitted to the chamber 29; as shown in Fig. l the air inlet 33 communicates with an air chamber 36 formed in said shaft 30 between the partition 29b and a second partition 29c from which the bearing 34 for the tube 32 projects.

The shaft 30 is journaled in a bearing 37 of any conventional type and carries a blower 38 of any usual form and includes a sleeve 39 slidably mounted thereon for the purpose of regulating the amount of air supplied to the blower 38. As exemplified in Fig. 4, the blower 38 consists of a plurality of spiral vanes 38a supported by the funnel sleeve 41 and end plate 29a in axial registry and enclosing convoluted passages 38", each of which has a large peripheral cup 38c and central inlets 38d to the funnel sleeve 41. As the blower is kept in operation against the atmosphere, a strat-a or ribbon of air is cut by each vane and continuously fed through a corresponding passage 38g to other parts of the engine. The blower communicates with the air chamber 36 through ducts 40, and is further in open connection with a funnel sleeve 41 projecting into the exhaust tube 16 and preferably provided with a plurality of exit openings 42 communicating with the interior of said tube 16, as shown in Fig. 1; the funnel sleeve 41 is rigidly secured to the blower 38 in any suitable manner. A shaft 43 extending lengthwise of the exhaust tube 16 and provided with spiral vanes 44 comprisesfa rigid continuation of the funnel sleeve 41 and extends into an auxiliary exhaust tube 45 whichforms an axial continuation of said shaft 43 and rotates therewith. Apertures 46 formed in the tube 45 establish continuous communication between the interior thereof and the interior of the main exhaust tube 16, as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. The tube 45 carries an annular bearing member 47 rotatably fitted in the bearing 18 in a 'fluid tight manner; if desired, the main exhaust tube 16 and the auxiliary exhaust tube 45 may be provided with oppositely extending flanges 48 which overlap each other, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The auxiliary exhaust tube 45 carries a circular plate 49 located adjacent to the bearing 18 and including an annular bearingV member 50 Iprojecting outwardly from the surface of said plate 49 and journalled upon a suitable bearing 51 located on a stationary frame 51a and having an axial opening through which the auxiliary exhaust tube 45 projects. The plate 49 is further provided with a peripheral flange 52 whereby it is connected with the rotor 22, and in addition includes a placement 53 as shown in Fig. 1 for a starter and transmission gear; the plate 49 is perforated as indicated at 54 to permita predetermined co-eficient of elasticity to compensate the expansion and contraction of said plate due to variations in the temperature thereof.

At a point in registry with the exhaust chamber 14, the rotor 22 carries a plate 14 having a rotating surface engagement with the annular bearing 16a located upon the periphery of the main exhaust tube 16, and provided with a plurality of suitably shaped spaced vanes or blades 14b projecting into and Yfitting the exhaust chamber 14, as shown in Fig. 1.

Any conventional ignition means may be included in the engine to effect the explosion of the fuel at the proper moments; with cycles of operations as shown in Fig. 1, a plurality of contacts 55 and 55a are connected respectively with spark plugs 56 which are fitted into openings 57 of the casing 10 in communication with the recesses 11 thereof,

as shown in Fig. 2, and with a source of electricity in any suitable manner. The contacts 55 are fixed 1n proper order circumferentially upon the frame 51a or any other suit-able stationary part of the engine. The rotor 22 or any convenient extension thereof carries a plurality of contacts in predetermined circumferential sequence as may be required. By the rotation of the engine the contacts 55 are caused to pass over the contacts 55a to periodically close and open the circuits in which the spark plugs 56 are located.

Lubrication of the parts may be brought about in any desired manner, as for instance, by means of a forced feed through acontinuous coil 58 indicated in Fig. 1 and extending to all parts of the engine where needed; the pressure required for the forced feed of the lubricant may be developed by means of paddles 59 carried by the bearing member 50 and rotatable thereby in a ring 6() located in open surface communication with said bearing member 50, said ring in such case being connected with the aforesaid coil 58, as shown in Fig. l, and being supported in a stationary position in any 'suitable manner.

The engine is started in the customary manner by opening the fuel and air connections, closing the ignition circuit, and actuating the starter to turn over the engine in the Well known way, until the engine begins to operate under its own power when the following cycle of operations will take place in continuous succession during a given period of operation.

In describing the Operativev cycle, one unit of the rotor 22 only will be referred to, it being understood that the same steps take place in all of the units thereof in the proper operative sequence. As the rotor 22 travels in its intended path, the compression member 24 of each unit travels in surface engagement with the cams 19 and at a given stage of the operation reaches a recess a thereof, so as to bring said compression member to the position A indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. In this position a mixture of air and fuel due to the driving force from the pad dles 31 in the mixing chamber 29 passes through the co-operating fuel inlet 28 into the combustion chamber 23b1 of the given unit, until this inlet 28 and accordingly the supply of fuel and air being cut oli' as the compression member 24 is shifted into said chamber 23a by the action of a high point b of the cams 19 and covers said inlet 28. A quantity 0f fuel mixture will thus be confined in said combustion chamber 23a and will be gradually but quickly' compressed therein until, in the continued operation of the rotor 22, the impact member 23 of the unit in question is brought into registry with a recess 11v of the casing 10. As this happens due to the force of the compressed gas, the impact member 23 will move outwardly beyond the rotor 22 'into said recess and the parts will occupy the position B in Fig. 2; at this moment thel contacts 55, and 55a will have operated to pro-` duce a spark at the proper spark plug 56 to thereby ignite the fuel mixture'and cause an explosion in the combustion chamber 23a.

' The explosion will develop impacting forces against the impact member 23, and the adjacent wall of the recess 11, and accordinglyv will impel the roto-r 22 in its intended path. As this occurs, the' impact member, by contact with the portion 12 of the surface of said recess 11, will be forced inwardly into its initial position Within the rotor 22, andA -not pivotally move relatively to its co-operi ating impact member 23; as a result of this, the co-operating inlet 28 will remain covered by said compression member and no fresh mixture will be permitted to mingle with the exhaustfrom the last previous explosion.

The exhaust gases will travel through the passage 13 and continuing to expand, will enter the exhaust chamber 14 and impact against the blades 14b of the plate 14, located therein; in this way the addedimpellin lforce of the exhaust gases will be exerte upon the rotor 22. From the exhaust chamber 14 the exhaust gases pass through the radial yducts 17 into the main exhaust tube 16 and into engagement with the spiral vanes 44 of the shaft 43. The exhaust gases will thus develop an impelling force upon said vanes 44 which is translated thereby into rotary motion communicated to the shaft 43 and by it to the rotor 22. After having passed along and engaged the vanes 44, the spent exhaust gases will be forced through the apertures 46 into the auxiliary exhaust tube 45 through which they pass out of the engine.

The 'ejection of the exhaust gases will be accelerated by the air which is forced through the funnel sleeve 41 into the main exhaust tube 16 by the action of the blower 38, which is operated coincidentally with the operation of the rotor 22; the current of air forced into the tube 16 will also pass out through the ducts 46 and tube 45 to the atmosphere. In addition to its other functions this current of air will serve to materially reduce the temperature in the exhaust tube 16; this will have the additional effect of reducing the volume of the outgoing gases and by thus lessening the' pressure against the successive exhausts will increase the efficiency 0f the successive exhausts in the exhaust chamber 14. The greatest part of the energy eX- pcnded in actuating the blower will be regained by this added service of flushing and cooling. It is possible that the influx of air from the blower may serve to ignite and consume any remaining residue of unburnt gases, thus resulting in additional impact strength in the tube. 16.

Inthe operation of the engine oil, gasoline or other fuel enters Athe mixing chamber 29 through the fuel tube 32 and is there mixed With air which enters said chamber 29 from the air chamber 36 through the air inlet 33; the amount of air Which passes into the chamber 29 and consequently the richness of the fuel mixture, may be regulated by shifting the tube 32 lengthwise in the bearing 34 to adjust the valve 35 relatively to the inlet 38. The paddles 31 serve to create suction in the chamber 29 whereby fuel is drawn from the tube 32 into said chamber 29 and mixed therein With air, and further act to force the fuel mixture from said chamber 29 tothe fuel mixture inlets 28 and to the combustion chambers 232L of the rotor 22.

An engine embodying the same elements, but in a reversed order is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, in which the` casing is provided with an internal Water jacket 1()a of generally circular form and provided with recesses 11, corresponding to the recesses 11 of the form first described. The Waterjacket 10- surrounds a main exhaust tube 16a and provides a circular bearing upon Which the rotor 22a is adapted to travel in a fixed circular path. As in the previous form, the rotor 22a consists of a plurality of duplicate units, each comprising an impact member 23b and a compression member 24a, hinged together to move about a common pivot point or axis 25a, as in the first form in engagement With a web 27a located on the rotor 22a. The members 23h and 24a of each unit are telescopically movable With respect to each other as in the first form, to provide combustion chambers 23C, adapted to be brought into communication with fuel inlets 28a in the manner previously described herein. rThe respective movements of the impact members 23D and compression members 24a are, however, the reverse of that of the form first described. That is to say, the impact members 231 move out of the rotor in a direction toward the axis of the engine, While the compression members move outwardly with respect to said axis. The compression members 24a are provided with rollers 24h which travel along cams 19, the trunnions of said rollers 241 being arranged to pass over co-operating cams 19X as clearly shown in Fig. 6. It will be obvious that the Webs of the members 23b and the compression members 24a may be altered in shape and dimensions to meet the capacity ,requirements of any particular specification without departing from the inventive idea.

1n operation, With the parts in hthe position in Fig. 6, a charge of fuel mixture will pass from the fuel inlet 28a into ,the combustion chamber 23C, and as the movement of the rotor 22a continues, Will be compressed therein by the inward movement ofthe compression member 2sta resulting from the co-operative action of the cam 19 upon the roller 241 thereof. At the proper moment the compressed charge Will be ignited in said combustion chamber 23 to develop an explosion, the impact of which forces the rotor in its circular path, and finally brings an impact member 2li:EL into registry with the recess` 11a. As this occurs, the impact member will move -into said recess as indicated in Fig. 6, and the spent gases will pass out through the exhaust passage 13a. These operativ-e steps Will be repeated in sequence throughout a given operative period of the engine in the same Way as in the form first described. The exhaust passage 13al communicates with the interior of the main exhaust tube 16a and leads the exhaust gases thereto. The latter, by engagement with the vanes 44a, cause an added impulse to be rotatively effective upon the rotor 22a as in the first form. From the exhaust tube 16' the gases pass through outlet passages 46a (Fig. 5) into an exhaust chamber 14, and into engagement with vanes 14d located therein and carried by a rotating plate 14.e connected to rotate with the rotor 22, VVit-h this arrangement, the outfloWing exhaust gases, by exerting an impulse upon the vanes 14d develop still another rotative impact which is effective upon the rotor 22a. From the chamber 14, the noW fully expanded exhaust gases pass through apertures 461 into the auxiliary exhaust tube 45a and out to'the atmosphere. As shown in Fig. 6, the spark plugs 56a are located upon the rotor 22a preferably in close proximity to the web 27a and are caused to develop sparks at the moments When the combustion chambers 23 are open to said spark plugs as shown in Fig. '6. Each spark plug 56a is suitably "Wired to a bar 55d which, in the operation of the engine passes over contacts 55C suitably placed on an annular rim 55X and connected with a source of energy .in a conventional manner. The rim 55x is stationary and is mounted upon the engine frame in any convenient Way. Otherwise this form of the engine may be the same in operation and construction as that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Various changes in the specific form shown and described may be made Within the scope of the claims Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a rotary combustion engine the combination of a stationary casing comprising a main circular space for the housing of a rotor, said main circular space transversed in axial coincidence by a main stationary bearingmounted in the center of one of the end plates of the casing, one or more primary tionary base, said mixing chamber supplied by an adjustable fuel intake, and comprising an air receiving chamber in communication therewith, mixing and scooping vanes,-and ducts vfrom said mixing chamber to said one or more combustion chambers, an annular member rotatably mounted on the main bearing in the main circular space, telescopically combined members pivoted on common pivots on said annular member and movable relatively to each other in opposite direction to admit and compress charges of fuel mixtures to be exploded to develo impact forces for operating the rotor, ad itional impact members carried by an end flange of the annular member, to be acted on by the products of combustion originated in the primary exhaust chambers.

2. In a rotary combustion engine the combination of a stationary main bearingv of generally circular cross section which mounts a rotor, with means in said main bearing for the conveyance of the exhaust from the rotor comprising one or more primary exhaust chambers encased in a peripheral line in the main bearing across the path of travel of the rotor, each chamber having a wide open end on the periphery of the bearing and a passage to a chamber centrally located in the said bearing, ports from this chamber to an additional annular chamber mounted by the said rotor concentrically on lsaid main bearing, ports from the-annular chamber for the discharge of exhaust, a rotor carrying in coincidence with the axis of t-he main bearing the parts hereinafter and assembled in cooperative relation in concentric paths of travel, namely, one or more combustion chambers, a fuel mixing chamber rotatably mounted on a stationary base, said mixing chamber supplied by an adjustable fuel intake, and

comprising an air receiving chamber in com-` munication therewith, mixing and scooping vanes, and ducts from said mixing chamber to said one or more combustion chambers, an annular member mounted in fluid tight engagement on said bearing rotatably across the mentioned encased chambers, a plurality of impact members pivoted on said annular member and movable inwardly with respect thereto, said impact members including fuel chambers, compression members pivoted on said annular member on the same pivots with sald impact members, said compression members being in telescopic engagement with said fuel chambersfand movable outwardly with respect to said annular member, rollers carried by said compression members functionlng in engagement with cams stationary outside the rotor for telescopically operating said compression members to admit charges of fuel mixtures to said fuel chambers and to compress said charges therein, means whereby said fuel charges are exploded to develop im act forces for operating the engine, a he ical impact member rotatably mounted in the centralchamber previously mentioned to be acted on by the products of combustion flowing thereinto from the en cased chambers, impact vanes in the annular chamber for the purpose of absorbing the residual impact forces from said products as they flow on their way out of the engine.

3. In a combustion engine, an annular member having a circular path of travel about an axis, a series of impact members carried by said annular member and including combustion chambers, compression members pivotally mounted on said annularmember in telescopic engagement with said impact members, stationary operating cams whereby said compression members are telescopically operated relatively to said impact members l to admit charges of fuel mixtures to said combustion chambers and to compress said charges therein, and means' whereby said fuel charges are exploded to develop impact forces for operating the engine. l

4. In a combustion chamber, a casing provided at predetermined points of its periphery with outwardly pro]ecting recesses communicating with the interior of said casing, a rotor j ournalled in said casing, and rotatable across said recesses, impact members pivoted on said rotor'and normally lying in the -periphery thereof, said impact members being pivotally lmovable into said recesses and including fuel 'chambers adapted to communicate therewith, compression members pivoted on said rotor on the same pivots with said impact members in telescopic engagelment with the latter, stationary operating lar member on the same pivots with said impact members, said compression members being in telescopic engagement with said fuel chambers and movable outwardly with respect to said annular member, rollers carried bysaid compression members, cams engaged by said rollers for telescopically operating said compression members to admit charges of fuel mixtures to said fuel chambers and tocompress said charges therein, and means whereby said fuel charges are exploded to develop imp-act forces for operating the engine.

6. In a combustion engine, a rotor, telescopically combined members pivoted on common pivots on said rotor and pivotally movable relatively to each other in opposite directions to ,admit and compress charges of fuel mixtures, and means for exploding said charges to develop impact forces for operating the engine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FREDERICK BRACCO. 

